Birmingham City vs Coventry City. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance16,633.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Birmingham and Coventry at St Andrew's as the Blues and the Sky Blues played out an underwhelming goalless draw on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday 17 September 2022 18:44, UK
Gustavo Hamer saw red for Coventry as an entertaining derby with Birmingham at St Andrew's ended goalless.
Brazilian-born Dutch midfielder Hamer was sent off for violent conduct in the 89th minute after earlier having had several chances for bottom club Coventry, who have not won in 11 games since their 4-2 victory at Birmingham on April 15, 155 days ago.
Despite plenty of opportunities for Coventry, Birmingham had the best chances of the game but Juninho Bacuna, Scott Hogan and Auston Trusty were either denied by goalkeeper Ben Wilson or missed the target.
Coventry forced seven attempts - four of them from Hamer - in the first 24 minutes and 12 in the first half, while Birmingham goalkeeper John Ruddy had to make three saves.
The Sky Blues' first opportunity came in the second minute but Jonathan Panzo glanced inches wide from Hamer's free-kick.
But for all the visitors' threat, Blues had the best chance of the first period.
That came when Bacuna blazed over with only Wilson to beat from Tahith Chong's cross.
Ruddy was forced to smother Jamie Allen's first-time side-footed effort from 15 yards then Hamer's ambitious 30-yard drive.
Hamer then produced a full-blooded volley from the edge of the box that flew a couple of feet over the bar after Dion Sanderson headed away a cross.
Hamer saw a 30-yard drive palmed away by Ruddy before his fierce low drive flew inches wide as it threatened to turn into the Hamer show.
Allen was next to try his luck and his rising left-footed drive from the edge of the box was centimetres away as Coventry dominated.
Chong tried to lift Blues but his 25-yarder swerved off target and was too high before Bacuna's downward header from Jordan Graham's cross forced a comfortable save from Wilson.
Ruddy's next stop was from his own player as he saved Krystian Bielik's blushes after the midfielder unwittingly turned Viktor Gyokeres' cross towards his own goal.
Wilson had to be alert to Bacuna's free-kick, which the midfielder cleverly bent around the wall and was saved at the foot of the near post.
Blues had the first chance following the restart, but after ghosting between Kyle McFadzean and Panzo to reach Bacuna's cross, Hogan's glancing header allowed Wilson to smother on the line.
Hamer was shown a straight red card after tangling with substitute Hannibal Mejbri on the ground after being tackled by the on-loan Manchester United midfielder, and he appeared to kick him.
Blues piled forward in search of a winner against Coventry's 10 men, but the closest they came was when Trusty's falling volley at the far post was blocked by Wilson on the line in stoppage time.
Birmingham's John Eustace: "In the first half we certainly had the best chance with Bacuna and he should have put that away. But overall a draw was a fair result. I'm delighted with a point. In the first half we were under a lot of pressure and we didn't start well, although a lot of their chances were from distance.
"After Wednesday's performance (a 3-2 win at West Brom) and the effort the lads put in at the Hawthorns, I always knew this game would be very difficult because Coventry are a very good team and are in a false position.Defensively we were much better in the second half and much more on the front foot and a lot more like ourselves."
Coventry's Mark Robins: "It's absolutely ridiculous. We need everybody fit and available and then that happens. He's got to learn. I didn't see it at the time. I've seen it subsequently and it looked like to me like (Hannibal) Mejbri grabbed hold of his legs and rolled and you can't really see what happened.
"But the eagle-eyed officials saw fit to send him off for violent conduct so he misses four games."
